Expensive cars. Keyless Entry.

[Beeches]

The term "keyless entry" used by the motoring magazines, has in certain instances referred to an electronic transmitter/receiver device the size of a credit card that you carry in your pocket.

When you get close to the car it reads the card in your pocket, automatically unlocks, and you can get in and drive away.

When you stop and park, as you walk away the car locks itself. You cannot go back and check if it is locked, because it automatically unlocks as you approach. This is all very well as long as the electronics work. But how about if they don't and the car is stolen? How would the insurers view that?

Imagine this scenario. It is a lovely hot day, you drive grandma into town, and on the way stop briefly for a newspaper. If you walk away with the card in your pocket, the car automatically closes all windows and locks. Grandma collapses with the heat. Nobody can get in to help her. Disaster.

The alternative is to give the card to grandma. Villain arrives, takes the card off grandma, turfs her out and drives off. What would the insurers say about that?

I don't have a car with keyless entry, but I would just like to know.

Beeches.

 

[^neo^]

Not sure about the card type, but the 'fob' type key on most of the newer stuff, you can configure the car to do what you want with the windows etc

 

[Donkmeister]

If you walk away with the card in your pocket, the car automatically closes all windows and locks. Grandma collapses with the heat. Nobody can get in to help her. Disaster.

The alarm would alert you to your mistake... It is a pickle though, isn't there some rule about having a competent person in charge of a motor vehicle, i.e. someone with a licence and of the correct age? Before you could leave someone in the car and just take the keys with you. But now, you'd have to get them to wait outside the car (legally).

A few months ago I got trapped inside my gf's car with the alarm sounding when she walked away (with the keys) to get a pay and display ticket. The system automatically arms after 1 minute. So, I'm sat there and the doors suddenly lock... Seconds later the alarm starts wailing, horn sounding and I couldn't even open the door to get out as the deadbolts were engaged!!!

So, I think you'd have to leave the card with Grandma or get her to turn her hearing aid off.

 

[xerxes]

What happens when (say) a husband drives to the station to catch a train, swaps with his wife who is going to drive the car to the shops, leaving the engine running.

He still has the gizmo in his pocket; how long before she realises, and what can she do about it?

 

[Mw Roofline]

I had keyless entry (Comfort access) on my M5. Its like a 30cm range so the doors lock literally as you slam the door, when you return to the car the locks stay down and unlock when you lift the handle.

You can change the settings to as above but you manually press the button on the fob to physically lock the car, if grandma is sitting in the car, it will beep at you the minute you get out the car.

I only owned the car for 3 weeks from brand new before it was lifted from the NCP secure long stay car park at B'ham airport, never to be seen again